This guide will walk you through installing and setting up Buying Buddy on your WebStarts website. The process involves three main steps that we'll cover in detail.
Important: You must set your website type as a "WebStarts" site in . This ensures you see the correct install code for your WebStarts website.
Staging Domain Authorization: When working in the WebStarts development area, your site may display using a WebStarts subdomain like "http://xxxxxxx.webstarts.com". If you see "Sorry this domain is not authorized", the widgets are working correctly but need this domain added to your account. Contact support to add your staging domain.
Note: You will probably not see the widgets displayed in your WebStarts editor. Save the page and click the "View Site" button in the WebStarts editor header to see a preview.
Installation Steps
1
Add Buying Buddy Plugin to Your Site
Install the JavaScript library site-wide
Get Your Plugin Code:
- In your Buying Buddy dashboard go to Installation and Setup
- Select your website and ensure it's set as a WebStarts site on the "Get Ready" tab
- Go to the "Add Plugin" tab and copy the JavaScript code
Install the Plugin:
- Login to your WebStarts website dashboard
- In the top menu, click "Insert" then "HTML Code"
- You'll see a warning message - click YES to proceed
- You'll be shown the View Source panel - paste the Buying Buddy JavaScript code here
- Click Save
Critical: The plugin JavaScript should only be added ONCE using the method above. Do not modify the code.
2
Create Foundation Pages
Set up required Results and Details pages
Important: Create 2 live pages that should NOT be in your menus (they are reserved for use by Buying Buddy). Add the correct widget to each page (only one widget per page), and ensure page addresses match your Buying Buddy account settings.
Create the Pages:
- In your WebStarts site editor, create two blank pages
- Give them appropriate titles like "Results" and "Details"
- To match default slugs, use "/listing-results" and "/listing-details"
- Click the "cog" icon for each page and check "Hidden on menu" so they don't appear in navigation
Add Widgets to Pages:
Tip: The "Results" and "Details" widgets look best when placed in a container that can be the full width of the browser.
For the Results page:
- Edit the new "Results" page
- In the left menu, choose "Add" then scroll down to select "Embed Code"
- You'll see a warning message - click YES to proceed
- Click the "Paste Code" tab
- Paste the following code for the Results widget:
<bb-widget data-type="ListingResults"></bb-widget>
- Save your page
- Click the "View Site" button to preview and verify the widget displays
For the Details page:
- Repeat the above steps for your "Details" page
- Use this widget code instead:
<bb-widget data-type="SearchDetails"></bb-widget>
Note: The details widget may display a SQL error if you preview it - ignore this. The widget is installed correctly and this error is never seen by users.
Add a Search Form (for testing):
Add the Search Form widget to any other page using the same process (do not add it to Results or Details pages):
<bb-widget data-type="SearchForm"></bb-widget>
Confirm Foundation Page Settings:
- Return to your Buying Buddy dashboard
- Go to
- Verify page addresses match your URL slugs:
- Results: /listing-results
- Details: /listing-details - Update if needed to match your actual page slugs
Add the Disclaimer Widget (Recommended):
Add the "Disclaimer Widget" to the Footer to keep your pages clean. This displays required MLS disclaimers in your footer instead of under each widget.
Add an HTML widget to your footer and paste this code:
<bb-widget data-type="Disclaimer"></bb-widget>
You can customize colors using the Widget Wizard in your Buying Buddy account.
3
Enable Property Sharing
Set up social media sharing with correct listing photos
To allow visitors to share properties from your website on Facebook and other social media platforms with the correct listing photos and details, you'll need to set up a "bb" subdomain for your domain.
Setup Options: You can use either Cloudflare (recommended for free SSL certificates) or your current domain registrar.
The Social Media Sharing Setup Instructions will guide you through both options.
Next Step:
Note: Your Buying Buddy dashboard has customized instructions for your domain in the Installation and Setup section (Social Share Settings tab) of your Buying Buddy account.Widgets - Installation and Setup : Social Share tab
Troubleshooting
SQL Error on Details Page
If you see this message, it's because you're attempting to view the Property Details widget on a page without a reference to a property. Ignore this - the widget is installed correctly and this error is never seen by users.
Staging Domain Authorization
If you see "Sorry this domain is not authorized", the widgets and Plugin JavaScript are working correctly, but your page address is using a domain not authorized to display Buying Buddy widgets.
There are two options:
- Ensure your actual domain name is applied and working, then view the live site
- For extensive development, contact Help Desk to add your WebStarts staging domain as a temporary authorized domain
Next Steps
Your WebStarts site is now ready for advanced Buying Buddy features! Consider adding:
- Featured Listings pages to display your own listings
- Sold properties displays
- Neighborhood-specific property pages
- Lead capture forms connected to Buying Buddy CRM
- Contact forms and custom styling with Widget Themes
For inspiration, view our demonstration sites:
- https://charliesmithrealty.com (WordPress)
- https://charliesmithrealty.net (HTML / PHP)
Need additional help? Contact our support team through your Buying Buddy dashboard.